Shank stiffener for shoes



W. H. NICKERSON SHANK STIFFENER FOR SHOES Sept. 3, 1935.

Filed Oct. 4, 1952 672??? fifizj mjwz 7 M 0 MZQ W' Patented Sept. 3,1935 1 ITED STATES PATENT FFICE SHANK STIFFENER FOR SHOES William H.Nickel-son, Newton, Mass.

Application October 4, 1932, Serial No. 636,149

2 Claims. (CI. 3676) This invention relates to a shank stiffener comonewhose liquid vehicle is a drying oil, preferably posed of resilientmetal, usually steel, and em- China-wood oil, which may constitute 50%to 70% ployed to impart resilience and a suitable degree by weight ofthe composition; whose solid, bodyof stiffness to the shank portion ofthe inner and giving element is a resin, preferably of artificial 5.outer soles of a shoe, the stiffener being intervariety, e. g. aformaldehyde-phenol condensation 5 posed between the soles, and, in acompo shoe, product, which may constitute 30% to 50% by contacting withthe cement now generally em- Weight o the OOmDOSitiOH; and whose liqu dVeployed to unite one so1e to the other, hicle is supplemented by avolatile thinner such The chief object of the invention is to provide asXylol, and, if desired, gasoline or other volatile l0 a resilient metalshank stiffener adapted to be yd oc o W ch y constitute 0% to 25%interposed between the inner and the outer sole by weight of thecomposition, and which serves of a compo shoe, or in any shoe in whichthe to promote quick setting or hardening of the stiffener is interposedbetween two soles, and to composition. The ingredients thus farmentioned have a non-squeaking contact with said soles. ve a homogeneousViSCOIiS fluid, as 9111 its q 1 Another object is to provide thestiffener with constituents are miscible and the resin is soluble 5frictional surfaces adapted to so cling to shoe in the liquidmixtureparts between which it is interposed, as to op- I p r to includein the Viscous Composition pose displacement of the stiffener from itsinan adhesive ingredient adapted to increase the tended position.strength of the union of the film with the stiffener.

Of the accompanying drawing forming a part A suitable adhesiveingredient is crude rubber 20 of this specification, rendered fiuid by asolvent, such as gasoline or Figure 1 is a bottom view showing portionsof benzol, and constituting -pp y ten p the inner sole and upper of acompo shoe withcen by weight of t e V SC C p out the outer sole, and ashank stiffener, condi- Other suitable adhesive ingredients in asuittioned in accordance with my invention, in its y fluid dissolvedCondition may be p y d, 25 operative position on the inner sole. such asfish glue. animal glue, powdered be Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectionof the shoe celluloid, shellac, a wax, or a natural or syntheticincluding the outer sole. gum. The adhesive may, in fact, be the body-Figure 3 is a perspective View of the conditioned giving element of theComposition, Supplement stiffener. the body-giving element. 30

Figure 4 is a magnified section on line 44 of The Coating thus formed isd fie 0n d Figure 3. caused to adhere to the metal surfaces of the stif-The same reference characters indicate the fener by drying, and becomesa film l3 adapted to same parts in all of the figures. have anon-squeaking contact with shoe parts In the drawing, l2 (Figure 4)designates a between which the stiffener is interposed, and, 5 resilientmetal shank stiffener which may be of in a compo shoe, to so adhere tothe cement emany suitable form. In this instance the stiffener ployed tounite the soles thereof, as to oppose has transversely flat sides and islongitudinally displacement of the stiffener from its intended pocurvedas shown by Figures 2 and 3. sition, the film coated stiffener beinginterposed In carrying out my invention I clean the surbetween thecement coatings on said soles while 40 faces of the stiffener and applythereto an airthe cement is fresh, said coatings being then drying orsiccative, viscous, fluid composition, p e sed 5 a st the st fener filml3 duras by dipping the stiffener in a bath of said comins th subsequentSteps of the Operation of position, or by painting or spraying thecompoing the shoe.

5 sition on said surfaces, the result being a film IS A powdered orcomminuted material may be entirely enveloping the stiffener, andconforming mixed with the viscous composition to increase closely to thesurfaces thereof, the film being so the effectiveness of the film inopposing displacethin, and its conformation to the surfaces of the mentof the stiffener from its intended position, stiffener being so close,that the bulk and original the grains or particles of said materialbeing inform of the stiffener are not materially altered by soluble inthe composition. The film is shown 50 the film. much enlarged by Figure4, and the grains or par- Generally speaking, the composition includes aticles are indicated by stippling on Figures 1 and liquid vehicle, and asolid, body-giving element 3. Some of said grains are exposed on theexsoluble in the vehicle to lend the desired viscosity ternal surfacesof the film. The powder is prefthereto. Thus, an advantageouscomposition is erably comminuted metal such as aluminum, 55

bronze, or tin, aluminum being preferred. The powder may be comminutedabrasive material such as emery or carborundum. When aluminum powder isemployed, the preferred proportions are two pounds of the powder to agallon of the fiuid.

The insoluble powder so roughens and frictions the surfaces of the filmthat the latter is better adapted to oppose displacement of thestiffener from its intended position, particularly at its forwardportion, the rear portion of the stiffener eing customarily engaged withone of the soles by tacks M, or by sole indenting burrs formed on thestifiener.

I am aware that it has been proposed heretofore to enclose a resilientmetal shank stiffener in an elastic cover of India rubber, said coverbeing elastically compressible, and serving in one instance as a cushionintended to yieldingly support certain bones of the foot, and in anotherinstance as a resilient substitute for the leatherboard shank piece,commonly associated with a resilient metal stiffener.

In each of said instances the elastic cover necessarily adds materiallyto the thickness and bulk of the metal stiffener, the cushioning effectdepending on the thickness of the rubber layers, or cover portions, atopposite sides of the metal stiffener.

My stiffener cover i3 is a film conforming closely to the surfaces ofthe stiffener l 2, without adding materially to the bulk thereof, sothat the film coated stiffener which is adapted to be interposed betweentwo soles as indicated by Figure 2, does not materially add to the bulkof the stiffener, and therefore does not materially increase thethickness of the portion of a shoe bottom of which it forms a part.

Furthermore, the film i3 is solidified by drying so that it does notconstitute either an elastically compressible cushion, or a resilientsubstitute for a non-metallic shank piece, its nature being such that itis caused by drying to adhere tenaciously to the metal stiffener, and isadapted to have a nonsqueaking contact with the soles between which thestiffener is interposed.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a resilient metal shank stiffenerenveloped by a film adhering and conforming closely to its surfaceswithout adding materially to its bulk, said film being composed of anair drying fluid composition solidified on the stiffener and adapted tohave a nonsqueaking contact with shoe parts between which the stiifeneris interposed, and comminuted frictioning material composed of rigidparticles insoluble in said composition and mixed therewith, some ofsaid particles being exposed on the surfaces of the film, and increasingthe effectiveness thereof.

2. As an article of manufacture, a resilient metal shank stiffenerenveloped by a film adhering and conforming closely to its surfacewithout adding materially to its bulk, said film being composed of anair drying fluid composition solidified on the stiffener and adapted tohave a nonsqueaking contact with shoe parts between which the stiffeneris interposed, and powdered aluminum mixed with said composition, someof the aluminum particles being exposed on the surfaces of the film andincreasing the effectiveness there- I of.

WILLIAM H. NICKERSON.

